Nebraska women’s basketball picked up another Big Ten win on Thursday, taking down Wisconsin 69-57 on the road.
The Huskers never trailed, and they held the lead for the final three quarters of play. Still, it was a close contest throughout the second half.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Potts Lifts Nebraska Through Second-Half Struggles
The first half was pretty standard for the Huskers on the road against a lesser Big Ten opponent.
Nebraska didn’t dominate at any point in the half, but steadily built up a double-digit advantage throughout the first 20 minutes. The team had its flaws on both ends, but kept firm control in holding the Badgers to 27 first-half points and forcing eight turnovers.
Wisconsin started to push back after the break, making it a one-possession game with just over three minutes left in the third quarter. To that point, only one Husker had been able to score in the period. After a scoreless first half, true freshman Natalie Potts kept the lead intact, dropping eight points on perfect 4-for-4 shooting. The only other Nebraska points in the third came on a Jaz Shelley 3 to extend the lead back to six.
Nebraska led 49-47 to start the final quarter, and Potts continued to help hold off the opponents. She scored four more points and earned a steal to help her team hold a 59-53 advantage with 5:07 to play.
That’s where the score stayed for over three minutes. Finally, the freshman forward stepped up to deliver the dagger. On one end, she stepped in to try and take a charge against Serah Williams. No whistle was blown on the collision, but the Badger forward fell and lost the ball out of bounds. On the other side of the court, Potts drove to the rim and finished through contact for an and-one layup. She missed the following free throw, but the eight-point lead with 1:35 was a safe one given the opponent’s scoring struggles.
She finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three steals in the contest, making all seven of her shot attempts after halftime. Without her contributions, the Huskers may have not been able to hold on.
“It was a close game, and it was getting closer and I knew I had to step up to the plate,” Potts said on Big Ten Network postgame.
It was a continuation of a strong freshman season for Potts. Beyond the impressive stat lines, she’s made big plays when the team has needed them.
Alexis Markowski and Serah Williams Battle
The matchup between two star post players was one to watch heading into this game, and it delivered.
Wisconsin sophomore forward Serah Williams came into the night averaging 16.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, returning to the lineup after missing the team’s past two contests. Alexis Markowski has been having a career year in her third season with the Huskers.
Both teams went to their interior stars right away, each side turning it over on a poorly-thrown entry pass. Williams then took her team’s first three shots, making one. Markowski missed her first attempt, but then made three straight to score eight early points. She was the one to dominate the first 20 minutes, putting up 11 points and eight rebounds in 13 minutes.
After halftime, however, the Husker star didn’t make a shot and only scored on two late-game free throws. Instead, it was Williams going to work, recording 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks after the break. She finished the game leading her team with 16 points and nine boards.
The two jostled for position all game in the paint, each having their highlights and lowlights. A strong defensive possession for Williams turned costly, however, as she was given a taunting technical after blocking Markowski in the fourth quarter. After the swat, she kept her eyes on the Husker and yelled in celebration. That turned a baseline inbound late in a six-point game into a string of four Nebraska free throws to extend the lead back to double-digits.
Regardless, it was enjoyable to watch the two go at each other and find some success.
Huskers Continue Conference Play Success
Nebraska has now started 3-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2011-12.
That’s no easy feat considering it started out at Michigan State before facing Maryland at home. Even against a less imposing foe such as Wisconsin, road conference wins can always be applauded. The Huskers dropped road games to struggling Rutgers and Minnesota teams last season, those failures helping keep Nebraska out of the NCAA Tournament.
Keeping the momentum up will be a difficult task, though one Nebraska is excited to face. It’ll return home to play No. 14 Indiana on Sunday, having promoted the game for months with the goal of “Pack PBA.” A large crowd is expected to watch the Huskers take on the Hoosiers, who have only lost one game to this point. They also won on Thursday, making their first 15 shots on the way to a decisive win against Michigan.
Indiana center MacKenzie Holmes is one of the best players in the nation, but the team’s starting lineup is full of talented players. Overcoming this strong challenge would be massive for Nebraska.
